If you write a book or a song, you can get copyright protection for it. If you invent a new pill
or a better mousetrap, you can get a patent on it. But for the last two decades, software has
had the distinction of being potentially eligible for both copyright and patent protection.

Critics say that’s a mistake. They argue that the complex and expensive patent system is a
terrible fit for the fast-moving software industry. And they argue that patent protection is
unnecessary because software innovators already have copyright protection available.

This spring, the Supreme Court will weigh in on the patentability of software for the first
time in a generation. In the 1970s, the high court placed strict rules on software-related
patents. But since then, a lower court has effectively overruled the Supreme Court’s
precedents, allowing hundreds of thousands of legally dubious software patents to be
approved.